Chocoa 2024: Everything you need to know

Nick’s postcard from Amsterdam

Chocoa is such a big event in the chocolate world, that it’s difficult to try and summarise the whole thing in a few lines. And this year, it ran parallel with the World Cocoa Foundation partnership meeting as part of Amsterdam Cocoa Week.

So although it’s all a bit ‘inside baseball’, it’s worth sharing some of our experiences and insights; some of the most influential people in chocolate were having some of the most important conversations, all under the same roof.

There was plenty to be fascinated and excited about.

For me, these events are great for discovering new things and for challenging ideas. My two biggest takeaways this year were about cocoa origins and cocoa pulp.

I’ve long been familiar with Angola, a Portuguese-speaking country in southern Africa; I used to work with a chimpanzee that was rescued from an abusive nightclub in Luanda, the capital city … no further explanation necessary I’m sure!

Although Angola sits squarely within ‘the cacao belt’ (the tropical range, each side of the equator, where conditions are apt for cacao farming), it had never really crossed my mind that cacao might actually be growing there.

Well it turns out it is, and I was really intrigued to hear the story of an Angolan bean-to-bar maker who was exhibiting at Chocoa this year. I learned about the work they’re doing to develop the infrastructure for transporting and fermenting cacao in rural Angola, and how farmers are being encouraged to improve their practices as they move towards fine-flavour cocoa. There’s a way to go yet, but I’ll be keenly following Angolan cacao’s story, and I’m looking forward to trying bars crafted from it in future. In the meantime, I treated myself to some Angolan tropical fruits, dipped in Angolan chocolate; sweet treats which didn’t last very long!

I also had the privilege of attending a special presentation, highlighting the cocoa of the Pacific Islands. Admittedly this is the region of the cocoa world that I’m least familar with, so it was very valuable for me to learn about the challenges that farmers face here, as well as discover the diversity of cocoa bean flavours that they produce. We were introduced to cacao farmers from Samoa and the Solomon Islands, and heard their stories; a standout moment was hearing how farmers waded across a waist-deep, crocodile-infested river to carry their cocoa beans to sale! It certainly puts into perspective why we should treasure craft chocolate, and honour the amazing people that make it possible.

If you’re familiar with the farm to bar journey, then you’ll know that the pulp inside a cocoa pod is a vital part of creating extraordinary flavours for craft chocolate; but this pulp has a life beyond the bar.

I’ve always been very interested in the potential diversity of cacao pulp uses; from making a sweet and refreshing juice to a flavoursome, exotic culinary ingredient. And this year, at Chocoa, I heard from a range of people and organisations who are pioneering the use of pulp for all sorts of things.

In some places, particularly where cacao is grown for the ‘bulk’ (or mass-produced) sector, pulp can be a waste product, but there are projects working to upcycle this into a venue stream for farmers, and at the same time create an array of interesting products like syrups and jelly-sweets.

I even had a little taste of a very interesting sugar-free Brazilian chocolate bar which was sweetened with cacao pulp, making it a 100% cacao bar, but with the sweetness of a lower-percentage dark chocolate. And as for the flavour… it was certainly a departure from what we might expect from a ‘normal’ dark chocolate, but it was richly flavoursome and I enjoyed it a lot. We have something similar in our library from Ecuadorian makers Awki – it’s well worth trying if you haven’t already (and they come in packs of chocolate ‘coins’, so they are great for sharing).

On reflection, if there was anything that slightly disappointed me, it was the missed opportunity for some dialogue between the ‘big chocolate’ industry, and our own craft/speciality sector. There was definitely a sense that the mass-producing industry giants (people like Mars and Nestlé) were keeping to themselves with their closed-door sessions and private panels.

I for one was looking forward to a bit of challenge and debate. I have no shortage of critical opinions about how ‘big chocolate’ operates, the exploitative systems they benefit from, and the impact they have on our planet. At the same time, I’m immensely proud of craft chocolate makers and speciality cacao producers, and the ethical, sustainable practices that make their work so special. It would have been interesting for these two ends of the chocolate spectrum to meet in the middle.

But I’m very grateful for having had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people, learn fascinating things, and get some inspiration. I’m already looking forward to the next Chocoa, and whatever surprises it brings!